Improvement in cotton and hay presses



E.s .coLL1Ns'.

Improvement in C-otton and `H-'ay Presses.

Patented Dec. 5,1871..

Iig. 1.

w11 JM I 'm'zessesj PATENT QFFICE.

EDWIN S. COLLINS, OF TRENTON, TENNESSEE.

IMPROVEMENT INCOTTON AND HAV PRESSES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 121,591, dated December5, 1871.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN S. COLLINS, of Trenton, in the county ofGibson and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and valuableImprovement in Cotton and Hay Presses; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the constructionand operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawingmaking' a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures ofreference marked thereon.

Figure l of the drawing is a representation of a vertical longitudinalsection of my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

This invention has relation to cotton-presses; and the noveltyr consistsin the construction and arrangement of devices by means of which thepower exerted is accommodated to the increase of resista-nce consequentupon the progress of pressure, so that the pressure may be continued toany extent without a proportionate increase of labor on the part of theoperator.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, illustrating my invention, AA'represent four upright posts, secured to a sill, B, which extends somedistance to one side and supports at its further end two upright posts,C. D designates the press-case, supported on the sill B and strengthenedby the horizontal frame-bars d and wedges or tightening-boards el'. Edesignates a long horizontal beam, supported at the top of and betweenthe posts A A'. One end of said beam holds a swinging bracket, e, whilethe other end is secured to the posts C. F indicates anoutwardly-inclined tail-board depending from the bracket e. G representsa lever of about the same length as the bar or beam E. Hung to its underside above the mouth of the press-box D is afollowereblock, g. An arm,g1, is also hinged to its under side at a point outside the posts A A'.The upper end of said block ts a slot cut in the beam E, while the lowerend is adapted to fit a transverse bar, g2, arranged between the twoposts A A', nearest the posts O. H repre sents a toothed bar or racklocated between the posts C. A pinion, It, on a transverse shaft, h1,gears with said rack and mediates to actuate it, so that it shall bemade to ascend and descend by the turning of a crank, h2. The shaft h1is provided with a gear-wheel, h3, which en gages with a pinion, h4, onthe crank-shaft. Projecting from either side of the rack is a stud, I,which enters a vertical slot, I', in the post O, and is thereby guided.The end of the lever G is connected with the upper end of the rack H,and rises and falls with it. J represents a numbe." of horizontaltransverse bars secured to the beam E, and to a bracket, J', projectingfrom the posts A. These rods suspend a number of swinging blocks, K L MN, of various lengths, increasing in the order in which they arelettered. Their lower ends are beveled to it notches in the upper sideof the lever G, to which they are designed to serve as interchangeablefulcrums.

The rst operation of the lever G is brought about by placing one end ofit in the bracket e, which then serves as a fulcrum. The other end ofthe lever then is depressed until space is made for the block K to fallinto its appropriate notch in the top of said lever. Said block beingadjusted, the lever is released from the bracket e and its forward endraised (the block serving as a fulcrum) until space is made for theblock L to be used as a i'ulcrum, whereupon the forward end of the leveris lowered; and so on with blocks M and N, the forward end of the leverbeing alternately raised and lowered during the descentof the followerg. The pressbox I) is furnished with two doors, D', which are swung opento let the lever descend. When the pressure has been continued as longas necessary, the forward end of the lever is raised until the end ofthe arm g1 is brought to bear against the bar g2 as a fulcrum. Themovement of the lever is then reversed until the rear end passing thetail-board ofthe bracket e enters the latter and rests on it as afulcrum for the further raising of the lever, an operation accomplishedby again reversing the movement of its forward end. The end which entersthe bracket is formed with a shoulder, so that it may have a purchase onits seat.

The blocks K L M N are arran ged on the bars J so as to slide in andout, as desired.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. In a press for cotton, hay, or other material,the combination of thebnr E, intcrchnngczl- 1 binntion with the prcsslevcr G, adapted to Workble pendent fnlcrlnns I( L M N c, lcvcl G. und on intcrcimngwlblcfnlcrums, as and for the purfoiiower g, as and for thc purpose spcciicd.pose spcciiied.

2. The bracket 0, having thc inclined taili In testimony that I claimthe above I have board F, in combination with the lever G, adnpty ed toWork on the intcrchangcablc fnlcrmns K L i M N, as described. 3. Thehinged arm g, applied to the pressio- Ver G, in combination with thebracket 0 und bau VVitncsseS: g2, as and for the purpose specified. W.G. SMITH,

two witnesses.

EDWIN S. COLLINS.

4. The rack H, pinion h1, and crank h2, in com- P. H. KINEY. (7)

hereunto subscribed my name in the presence o'

